Night Owls
by Kirabaros
Summary: 1.05. A girl is raped and murdered but left with something to indicate that it is more than that. Two skeletons are found under a cabin with signs of domestic abuse. The CSIs are on the case and looks like one might end up being a victim of circumstance... or not.
1. Chapter 1

**Night Owls**

_The nightlife was _the _thing in Vegas. It was a town of night. The casinos made the night seem like day and the sounds of people walking down the Strip and the familiar pings of the slots; it was all part of it. It was almost like how the musical _Guys and Dolls_ was, except it was in New York. Even the ones who tried to save souls were out in force tonight._

_ The club Forsaken was in full swing that night to the point that the crowd was lining up outside the front doors. The bouncers were checking ID and the music was rocking with the band of the week playing their latest songs. People were dancing, drinking and doing whatever._

_ She had come for a good time since her friend had recommended it to her. Forsaken was the newest in clubs themed and catered to her group. She laughed as she took a pull of her drink that she had ordered until another was put in front of her. Looking up, the server said that the guy in the VIP section was paying._

_ He was cute in that dark and mysterious way. He had dark hair that was styled into that spike look that never really went out of style as long as it was on a guy that it looked good on. She walked up with her friend towards the VIP section and he motioned for them to have a seat. It looked like the night was looking up._

_~0~0~_

_ It was dark in that alley. Dumpsters and trash were spewed everywhere but that didn't matter. She felt her breath hitch as she fell. There was the burning sensation of having her knees scraped on the pavement. She grunted in pain and looked behind her. She wanted to scream but quickly got to her feet to continue running._

_ She rounded the corner and bumped into some crates, knocking them over. She hoped that would stop him. She ended up falling again and scraped her palms getting up. It was no use though. The dark figure was in front of her. She opened her mouth to scream but was punched in the face._

_ She fell to the ground and put a hand to where the strike hit. She was then grabbed by the guy from behind. She tried to scream but her mouth was covered and it was muffled. She struggled but was punched again and turned over. She looked up but no sound came out…_

The flash of the bulb and the familiar click of a camera being used almost seemed to echo. Catherine Willows looked through the viewport and focused her lens per protocol and took more shots of the girl seemingly oblivious to the first rays of light that were showing. Another young woman dead in a city that seemed to swallow them whole.

"Her name is Nicole Kirkland, 25, lives in Pahrump and a secretary for a small real estate firm," Captain Jim Brass said. "Garbage man was coming to do the morning pick up and he finds her on top of the crates."

Catherine gave a slight nod as she finished taking pictures of the body. The girl looked like she had been tossed onto the crates after what looked like was strangulation. Her clothes looked like they had been removed and put back on like someone was in a hurry. She looked at the assistant coroner, "Time of death?"

"Based on lividity and rigor, I'd say about four hours ago," David replied. "I have petechial hemorrhaging in the eyes, indicative of suffocation and some defensive wounds."

Catherine nodded and looked at the body. She really didn't want to think about what this poor girl went through. She looked around and noted the blood spots and there was also some strange, unidentified liquid nearby.

"Hey, sorry I'm late Cath. Traffic," Nick Stokes said as he walked up with his kit in hand. He paused to glance at the body and had to do a double take. He noted the clothing and the makeup on the girl and made a slight look. He cleared his throat and said, "I'll start looking through the alley. Maybe we might find something."

Catherine looked up and noticed the look Nick was giving the body. She had the same reaction when she first saw the body on those crates. The hair color was different but it might as well have been someone they knew. She said, "Well I got blood, probably from the vic and this…" She swabbed the substance and capped it for processing, "I'll send this to Trace."

Nick nodded and started looking around. He found what looked like a trail of destruction. He could visualize the girl running through and into things. She was being chased by something or someone. "I think she was chased."

"Chased, raped and now she's dead," Catherine said.

**Chapter 1**

Nick photographed the blood spots on the pavement. The morning sun was starting to make its way up and gave indication what the typical day in Las Vegas was and it was going to be a hot one. It was somewhat of a bummer to get a call near the end of shift but crime really didn't adhere to any schedule. Still he had his A-game on.

Looking closer at the blood, he could also see what looked like skin on the pavement. He pulled a swab from his vest and swabbed it. He had backtracked the victim's run through the streets and found that she had come from the direction of an area that was not necessarily high crime but it wasn't exactly like it was a 'good' area either. The only businesses around were mom and pop places, liquor stores, and a couple of clubs.

Nick studied the area some more and noted something on the ground. It would have been easily missed if it had been night. Using his tweezers, he picked up what appeared to be a crucifix but it wasn't like the kind he had seen churchgoers or the gangs that wore them had. It was different in that he could make out a knot like pattern on it.

Looking down, he found that there was the accompanying chain with it. He collected it and bagged it. He was still kneeling as he looked up and down the alleyway. He could make out Catherine working closer to where the body had been found. He surmised that the girl had run a long way looking for someone that would help her. Sighing he continued his work hoping to find where this started and maybe they could get the SOB that did this.

Catherine continued to look around the area. This scene seemed so devoid of evidence since all they had were blood spots and the suspicious substance. She requested an SAE kit on the victim, rush, when David collected her to take to the morgue since she suspected that sexual assault might be a part of it. It certainly took her mind off the last one with the two gold diggers that poisoned their husbands but she knew sexual assault was just as serious as other crimes.

She glanced over at Nick and saw him processing more of the alleyway. He was going back to find out where this chase began. She could guess that this was bothering him a little bit just like it did her since they both knew that their friend and colleague Sage Parker dressed as a Goth… as far as the dog collars and leather wrist bands went and she had a taste for metal bands that made Greg happy; a complete contrast to the fact that Sage went to church every Sunday or Saturday depending on her schedule. Catherine would know since she had come into the lab carrying her Bible under her arm and her beat up satchel on her shoulder and sometimes she would be humming a tune that was suspiciously a church hymn.

Catherine sighed and continued to process the area, forgetting about Sage for the moment even though there were some questions she wanted to ask the CSI when she got the chance. Now she was looking for something that could help on this case. She moved over to a bunch of crates that were nearby and shined her Maglite over the area.

It had been hiding there and if she hadn't shone her light, she wouldn't have found it at all. The glint of the metal told Catherine that it was a weapon of sorts and not trash. Being careful, she reached in and slowly pulled out what was definitely a utility knife and there was blood on it.

There had been no indication that the victim had been stabbed. The only blood was from defensive wounds and from scraping her knees on the pavement. Still you couldn't afford to take chances. There could be the possibility that it was related or it could have caused the defensive wounds. Evidence was evidence.

Taking a swab of blood for DNA, she inspected it for other signs of possible evidence. Taking her powder from her kit, she dusted the handle. She got nothing and figured the attacker wore gloves. They still had the knife though so she bagged and tagged and continued to process until she found everything that was relevant to the case.

Nick had gotten to the end of the alleyway to the main street. He looked to the left and right and saw no signs of anywhere else to go. Looking around the area he found a little niche that was hidden from the street. He found a couple of partial shoe prints made from oily liquid nearby. He also found some torn clothing that looked like it came from the victim as well as clothing from the possible assailant.

It appeared that they were getting a little down and dirty here in the alley. Probably they came from somewhere nearby… Nick looked around. The area had a lot of those mom and pop places and a few liquor stores but the only thing that was prominent was a club across the street. Looking at it, Nick could see the scene play out…

_Nicole Kirkland was coming out of the club, most likely a little intoxicated and with someone she had just met in the club. They decided to leave and have a little fun, maybe be a little dangerous about it. They cross the street and come to the alleyway where there is a convenient little niche to do their thing and that is where it went bad._

_ The guy suddenly changes, probably threatens her, grabs her throat maybe. Nicole fights back and in the process, tears her clothing and maybe his. She takes off running down the alley trying to get away. At one point the assailant catches up and tries to subdue her and rips off her necklace. She gets away and continues to run._

_ She runs until she gets to the service entrance for the trucks and thinks she is safe but she is not. The assailant grabs her, hits her and has his way with her. He strangles her, probably with his bare hands and left her on the pile of crates…_

Nick shook his head at that. It was just wrong for something like that to happen. He called Catherine on his cell phone since he was a far distance away. Once he got her he said, "Hey Cath, I think I found where it started and I think I know where they met."

* * *

Sage stifled a yawn as she carried her kit in one hand and rubbed her eyes with the other. She couldn't help it and was dying for a cup of coffee but she had a scene to get to and according to Grissom he was tapped out. Well at least it was on the tail end of grave shift and days lucked out. Then again who wouldn't want a 425?

Detective O' Reilly was waiting for her outside a cabin house that looked like it had seen better days. He looked bored and was probably fighting off exhaustion. Sage had the feeling that it was the burly detective's turn to pull a double or accompany her on a case. She had joked with the detectives in the bullpen that it was a drawing to see who got to babysit the rookie CSI and they laughed it off.

Seeing the detective, Sage said, "Hey O' Reilly, they punishing you too?"

"If you mean by babysitting the newest member of the nerd squad, then yeah," the detective joked. "You look like you had a rough night."

"Something like that," Sage replied as she blinked away her tiredness. It was time to go to work now. "So what do we have? Dispatch said it was a 425?"

"That's right. The 425 is inside." O' Reilly led the way into the house since it had been cleared.

If coffee was a good wakeup, the smell that assaulted Sage's nose was just as good. Her eyes opened wide and she put a hand to her nose. She recognized the scent and it smelled fresh… very fresh. She held her nose and breathed through her mouth as she said, "Breathe through your mouth O' Reilly."

The detective was trying to do that. He had a handkerchief to his nose and trying not to gag at the smell. "House was like this."

"I don't think so. Where's the first officer?"

O' Reilly pointed in the direction of the kitchen. Sage followed the detective's finger and found the uni in the kitchen looking miserable. The smell was strongest in here. Definitely this is where the action happened. "Oh God," she let out as she looked at the uni. "Perry, when you cleared the house did you see anything suspicious? Something small?"

Officer Perry was still making a face. He nodded. "Yes. I was clearing the house and I came in here and it was in the middle of the room. I tried to leave slowly but…"

Sage made a face and nodded, getting the picture, "Perry, I suggest you have someone buy a lot of tomatoes and request time off." She looked at O' Reilly and said, "Skunk."

It was nearly impossible to work with the stench so powerful in there. Yet there was evidence that needed to be processed. Sage waited outside, breathing the fresh air and she could smell skunk. _Oh God it reeks!_ She looked over at the detective who looked a little green. Putting her kit on the ground, she opened it and reached in for what she was looking for.

Taking a handkerchief from O' Reilly, she poured liquid from the bottle she had pulled out and put a slightly liberal dose on the handkerchief. She handed it back to the detective since she was going to go in and he was going to follow. At the look, she explained, "It's scented. It'll help keep your mind off the other smell."

O' Reilly nodded and took the proffered relief. "You seem to be prepared for just about anything aren't you Parker?"

"Learned a few tricks from Orleans PD," was all that Sage would offer. She held the bottle up to her nose and breathed it in before corking it. "Well time to get to processing the scene. I got evidence in that house."

"You're crazy you know that?"

"Stokes tells me that every other day," Sage replied with a grin as she went back into the cabin. It made sense to have the skunk around since they were near camping ground in the forest near Lake Mead. It was a sort of nice surprise to the day and a fairly good wake up call.

"Really?"

"Yeah him, Grissom… just about everybody," Sage replied as she stepped back into the cabin. The smell had dispersed a little since Perry was gone and replaced and the doors had been open. The windows were not touched since she hadn't done a walk through yet.

O' Reilly gave a shrug as he followed the CSI in. He thought she was a bit crazy for working in the stench like that but he had seen CSIs work worse. The last one involved a garbage hunt and the CSI smelled worse than the dumpster they were diving in. They followed the evidence. He took the lead inside and said, "Got a call that there was a disturbance here. The thing is the property is in receivership but kids come here to hang out."

"Isn't there a ghost story about the last owner dying and haunting the place?" Sage held up her light as she looked around.

"That's the one. Mostly the parents tell it to keep the kids in line."

"Yeah but you always get those few that decide to test those boundaries," Sage countered as she walked into what could be considered the living room. The place had a rustic and country house look to it so some of the walls looked a bit rough. There was some really faded wallpaper on the walls and remnants of pictures. Leaves were on the floor and not to mention the cobwebs all over the place. She gave a sniff and muttered, "Looks like the place hasn't been occupied in years."

"Owner died five years ago. Surviving family decided to sell. Didn't really care for the property at all."

"Leaving the perfect place to hang out I see," Sage replied as she noted the beer bottles and other junk that came from breaking in and having a party.

"Nothing a bored teenager would do," O' Reilly commented. He pointed into a smaller room, "This is where they found it."

They walked into a small room and as Sage shone her light on the wall, she noticed the spray of red on the walls. She could understand why the officer would call it in. It looked like someone had done a blood bath here and went on an all and out killing spree. She put her kit down in the middle of the room and began to look around by turning in a slow circle.

There was red everywhere along the wall. There were some disturbances but it looked like it could have been done over time. O' Reilly watched as Sage looked around and asked, "So what are you thinking? Murder?"

"Not really," Sage replied as she studied the wall. The spatter was what held her interest. She stepped closer until she was almost within close proximity. Looking at the spray she surmised, "Spray is not consistent with arterial spray. In fact it looks almost like those slasher films."

"How do you know that?"

"Hollywood has for years been trying to make more and more accurate blood sprays when they film. Like a poker game though, man-made versions always have tells." Sage pulled out a swab from her vest and rubbed some on the surface where the red spray was. Performing the phenol test, she got a negative. "And in this case, this is not blood. More likely red dye like they use for whatever. Probably some kids used it to decorate when they had their party."

"I guess that's a relief," O' Reilly said as he took a whiff of the treated handkerchief. He really didn't like the smell of the place and would have liked to have left but the rule was you never left a CSI on their own. "So case closed?"

Sage looked at the wall and then the rest of the room. She swung her light back and forth looking for anything else. "Looks like it might be code 4 but I want to check the whole place out. Just to be on the safe said." She looked up at the detective and gave a sweet smile. It was one she used on Brass a couple of times and watched as O "Reilly gave a sigh and prepared to dig in.

Sage continued to look around the room. She found remains of used candles. She found hot wax dripped into patterns on the floor. She took a look at the symbols and made a wry grin and shook her head. It seemed that the kids were only here messing around. They probably had a themed party since the climate of the house suggested it. She had seen a couple of places like this and not in a forensic capacity. She gave a slight chuckle remembering the conversation she had last night about her preference for dressing Goth.

That reminded her to ask Sara if she was sure that she wanted to go to that club she was telling her about. Ever since Sara had been told to get out more, she had sought Sage out hoping to do a couple of girl time things. It struck Sage as odd since she had never known Sara for doing that. Plus she was going out with the EMT Hank and that was getting out more. She did like Sara though and she recognized it as an attempt to possibly extend a friendship that was comfortable like what she had with Greg and the other techs in the lab.

It had started out when Sage decided to go to a western theme club and have fun with line dancing. Sara asked her what she was doing and if she could come. It had been rather an awkward moment and she wasn't sure if the CSI would like it but she took her to the club anyway. It actually turned out to be fun though a bit funny since Sara had never line danced before. Sage had been doing it since… well she knew that her grandfather and grandmother taught her and Cassie. It was natural. In the end Sara did a pretty good show.

It was one of those moments that had Sage wonder if she was losing her sanity but obeying Catherine's advice to not analyze everything to death, she decided to roll with it. So she tried not to be too surprised when Sara said she would come with her to the Goth club and hear the new band play. Seeing the room brought back memories of a couple of parties she had been too when she was in school and probably nothing to worry about.

"Satanists."

Sage looked back to where O 'Reilly was looking at a few symbols that had been created with melted wax. She corrected, "Actually they aren't Satanic. Satanism revolves around the acknowledgement that Satan is a deity. That on the ground is Celtic work and interestingly enough has a place with Gothics which aren't the same."

O' Reilly looked over in the direction of Sage as she moved to a smaller adjoining room of the cabin. "I take it that you know about that?"

"I'm a CSI. It's my job to know things," Sage replied quoting Grissom purposely, knowing that he had uttered it before in the burly detective's presence. She gave a wry grin since it was annoying to some people when the differences were pointed out. A couple of times she had shot down religious fanatics when she challenged precisely what she said and numerated the differences. It didn't quite put her in such understanding with her mother and her father was amused by it.

"Whatever."

Sage chuckled to herself and continued to walk through. She came into the room and heard the creak. It sounded different from the other creaks in the house and put pressure on the area again. When she added more weight, the floorboard snapped and her leg sunk a bit but she managed to retain her balance. She waved off O' Reilly, "I'm okay. Just a rotting floorboard."

She let the detective huff a bit as she pointed her light down. She could see something through the hole her foot made and she wanted to get a closer look. Getting down on her hands and knees, she tried to peer through and when she did, what she saw had her make a slight sound. She said, "O' Reilly, you might want to call the coroner's office."

O' Reilly walked over to see what she was looking at after giving a look at the walls in the other room. "What do you mean?"

Sage had grabbed the end that had broken and pried it loose to remove it. It had been a bit of work twisting the nail out but it revealed a good size hole. She shone her light down and it highlighted what was unmistakably a human head that was almost a skeleton. "Well I guess the 425 became a 419," she said as she looked at the ground and noted the bugs around.

* * *

**A/N:** Welcome to a new case and it looks like a fresh body and a decomp start the line up. Keep watching for more Night Owls...


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

"Well judging by the remains of the tissue, I'd say that your body has been here for at least a year," David said as he looked down the hole. "Of course this is only at face value."

"Sorry Dave," Sage apologized as she reached down carefully to pick up one of the insects. She looked at it and said, "But I need a sample of these little guys."

"I'm sure Grissom will love that," David commented as he peered down while Sage collected. He then noticed something and said, "Um you might want to move your hand."

Sage looked and saw what David was looking at. She didn't move but looked at it. Slowly she reached in and grasped the snake by the head and pulled it out. She made a slight hum, "Huh, gopher snake. Relatively harmless. Must have come here to hide and come out when he hunts."

"Well can you at least get him away please?"

Sage looked at the coroner's assistant and noticed his coloring, "You don't like snakes do you David?"

"No particularly."

"Okay, okay." Sage slowly got to her feet and walked away. Luckily there was park service available and they put the snake in a holding container until it was ruled out as something that picked at the body. She went back and checked for more and found that it was empty and began marking where she wanted the floorboards cut.

It was long and tedious but she wanted to preserve the state of the body as much as possible. It seemed that it had been buried here for some time and more likely with the break ins, no one took notice of the stench of a body and certainly the smell of a skunk would have masked that stench but the body was pretty much bone except for bits of flesh.

David led the task of getting the body up and onto the gurney. Meanwhile Sage bagged her bug specimens for Grissom's purview and supervised. She had taken photos of the place before the hole had been cut and she had her photos from the other room documenting that it wasn't blood on the walls. She also had swabs for trace to identify the red stuff. It was probably red dyed corn syrup but she would like to be sure on that. They probably weren't relevant to the body that they found but it could help in reconstructing the scene later when they find out who this person was. At least there was some tissue still on the skeleton so that was a start.

"Scene's yours Parker," David called.

"Thanks Dave."

The area underneath the body provided some additional evidence. She actually found what looked like a matchbook and something scrolled on the inside flap. That was something for QD to go over. There were also some bits of clothing. One she picked up and gave an appreciative look at it. "High quality leather. Probably from a duster. Nice."

"Well for someone who wears dog collars, high end ones I'd think you'd know a bit about that."

Sage looked up and saw Sara standing there with her field kit. She gave a smile and replied, emphasizing her twang, "As I said before, it can be made to go with any outfit for any occasion. Yes even court."

Sara grinned at that as she looked at the CSI in the hole. Originally she was supposed to be working a domestic disturbance but that was handled before the end of shift and the suspect arrested. It was up to the wife though if she wanted to press charges. Warrick and Grissom were on a home invasion gone bad and had it covered so she decided to see if Sage needed a hand. She replied, "And it looks like it's the regular work collar today huh?"

"Always is," Sage replied as she bagged the piece of leather. "So, what brings you out here? Thought you had a domestic disturbance?"

"Just wrapped it up. Do you need a hand?"

"Hop in. Body was found underneath the floor hence the hole," Sage replied giving a motion that Sara was to join in. "There was still some tissue on the body and recovered scraps of clothing. We're looking to see if there is anything to identify John Doe."

Sara climbed in. It was a narrow fit and she was surprised there was enough room for the two of them to work. She could only imagine if it had been Nick and Warrick trying to do the same thing. She gloved up and pulled out her light to look around. The dirt was dark colored and probably from the fact that it had been foundation dirt for the place for years. As she looked around she glanced over at Sage and asked, "So how were things last night? You know that dinner you were invited to; the one that you said was not a date?"

"It wasn't a date," Sage replied as she expanded her search underneath the hole. "Detective Aguilar invited me to dinner with his godmother and that was last week."

"Oh so you're juggling boyfriends. Hope he's not jealous of Greg."

"Please," Sage replied with a slight grin. She moved her light and found something. She moved her light and highlighted the whole thing. Pulling out her tweezers, she picked it up. It was a necklace and one that she recognized pretty well. "Well I got something that might help ID the body."

Sara gave a grin since she knew that Sage had a boyfriend and it wasn't Greg. In fact they carried on like nothing happened until she cornered Sage and asked about it. Okay cornered wasn't the exact manner in which she found out. It was when they hung out at the club and just talked. She thought it cute that little Sage Parker went out on dates. "Just kidding Parker though you might want to have Nick or Warrick do a background check."

"Alright Sara," Sage replied as she bagged the necklace. "Enough fun at my expense."

"Alright, alright," Sara countered making a gesture of surrender. She went back to looking on the ground and found something. "Hey I think I got a wallet." She dug into the ground and uncovered the wallet. Slowly she lifted it and her eyes opened a little.

Sage had climbed back out of the hole to give Sara some room. Even though she could crawl under the house with Sara in there, it was courtesy to give the breathing room. She was in the middle of examining the necklace in the bag and she turned it over. She saw what appeared to be a name maybe that was engraved on the back. It was a little faded but maybe they could figure it out.

Then Sara said something about a wallet. She said, "More for the ID then."

"Um Parker?"

Sage frowned as she heard Sara's voice. She looked over to where Sara was and walked over. She kneeled over the edge and looked down. "What do you have?"

Sara didn't lift what she found but shined her light on it. It revealed the carpal and metacarpal but it was all alone. She looked up at Sage and said, "I think we may have another body."

Sage pursed her lips. It looked like the case was going to get a little more interesting. She wasn't one to grudge a case but she was hoping that it would be rather easy. Still she would give this case like every other her full and undivided attention. She nodded, "Looks like we might. I'll get the screens. Seems like we're going sifting."

"Panning for gold," Sara replied as she looked down at the ground. "My kind of case."

"And maybe we'll strike it rich and get COD, weapon, suspect and wrap it all up before supper time," Sage replied with a slight grin.

Sara couldn't help but grin back. "You always have a positive outlook on things don't' you?"

"Just looking for the bright things hidden among the dark things. Makes all the difference," Sage replied still squatting by the edge looking down. "You gonna be okay down there? Need anything?"

"Just my camera, Boss." Sara gave a smile as she imitated Sage's way of referring to Grissom.

Sage made a motion with her finger and returned the grin with one of her own. "I'll be back. Do you need a double tall latte?"

"Rule 41, Parker. Do you want to put the sustenance of a CSI on the line and in the hands of a uni?"

"I trust them," Sage replied with a grin as she stood up and walked back out to the Tahoe. She returned with the screens and proceeded to lay out the tarp. It was going to be difficult and long but they could do it. "Ready?"

* * *

"Whoa. Who let in the great outdoors?"

Sage gave a look at Warrick as she made a slight motion to straighten her collar. A plume of dust arose from the collar. "I like the outdoors. Nice way to wake up when you come in on your day off."

Warrick chuckled at that, "Yeah. At least you didn't have to smell decomp on your day off."

"That's right," Sage replied as if it were a new thing to get excited about. "It was your day off too. That really has to bite huh?" She had a grin on her face to emphasize her being sarcastic. She sobered as she walked over to the tall CSI, "Still it was nice."

Warrick gave a slight smile. He could smell the outdoors and the floral scent of a perfume that was faint. He replied, "It was. Never heard a jazz song sung in Creole. You got real feeling there Parker."

"Well when you hear a Warrick Brown, there's just something that just needs to be said." Sage gave a slight shrug of her shoulders. "It was a privilege to hear it."

Warrick chuckled, "I think it was more of a privilege to hear you sing, Parker. Oh by the way I recorded it so…"

"I'd like that. Thanks Warrick and I mean it. It was a privilege." Sage wrinkled her nose. Yeah she could smell it and she did tell Sara what she might have to do. "I guess I better go cut down the smell. Man. It didn't get directly on me and it clings like cigarette smoke."

"I'm not even sure that I want to know what it was."

"Oh you know."

"Well I get the hint of something floral that cuts down the underlying smell," Warrick teased. It wasn't that bad but he could understand how it could be a bit annoying after a while and if there was overtime involved, there were other people to consider. "What is that badger?"

"Skunk smart ass," Sage retorted, "And don't be trying to be like Stokes. I don't want to deal with two of ya."

"No skin off my ass Robo-girl. We're tight." Warrick held up his fist.

Sage returned the motion with her own fist. "Right. We're tight. And don't start on my accidental rhymes. It happens."

"Like shit happens?"

"Right," Sage replied with a smile and nearly laughing. She pulled out a small bag of tomatoes. "Have fun with your decomp. I so envy you."

"Yeah and you love puzzles too," Warrick countered as Sage left. He couldn't help but grin and smile. It had been a fun night; not the kind one would expect in Vegas but it was nice. It was nice to just hang out and listen to music and discussing styles. He always thought Sage to be one of those that listened to Goth music but she surprised him.

"Hey, rough night?"

Warrick turned to see Greg standing there. "Got called in," he replied and the day continued on like normal with Warrick heading to process evidence in his case with Grissom.

* * *

"Well I never thought you'd show up in autopsy smelling like a tomato."

"Tomatoes are great for cutting down the smell," Sage countered as she adjusted her coat for the prelim autopsy. Her hair was still a little wet from the impromptu shower but she insisted that she and Sara do it otherwise the fingers would be pointing and the jokes would be equally bad. Since her hair was cut short, it looked very boyish when wet and very different from the spiked look that it usually had. "You should have seen Officer Perry. Poor guy was miserable."

Doc Robbins took in Sage's appearance. "I didn't know your hair was reddish."

"I'm technically auburn haired," Sage explained as she pulled on a pair of gloves. "Though some might say I'm more on the chestnut side since it tends to look more brown when dry. Weird thing of genetics."

Doc Robbins gave a slight smile and huff of a chuckle, "Hmm. So the European comes from overseas then."

"You know your tendencies," Sage countered with a proud smile.

"I know hair colors and I can tell you that your first body was sable brown. It looks black but when in the light it looks brown." Doc Robbins walked over to where he had the piece of scalp with the hair attached to it next to the body.

"Oh. Nice," Sage replied as she peered at it. "Any luck with skin tags?"

"DNA would be degraded though we might get lucky with the teeth for both of them."

"COD?"

"Sharp force trauma." Doc Robbins pointed at the rib cage of the John Doe, "And in this case your John Doe is a Jane Doe. I found tool marks of your possible weapon on the third and fourth ribs. No striations so possibly a smooth, curved blade."

Sage peered at the wounds. She also looked at the skeleton as a whole. "I can see why you said female. The hips and the stature and nature of structure highly suggest female." She then frowned as she looked at the cranium. "Doc, take a look at that."

Robbins put on his glasses and peered closer. He saw what Sage was looking at. "Orbital fracture of the zygomatic arch. I can see other fractures long healed." He stood up straight. "I know what these are."

"Yeah. Our victim was beaten," Sage mused. "Can you determine if the fractures came before death?"

"When I conclude my findings I'll let you know on that one." The coroner then moved on to some other fractures that he had found that had been healed and a dislocated finger.

Sage pursed her lips. It seemed that it wasn't enough that the girl had been someone's punching bag. They had to kill her too and probably because she decided to fight back. She knew that she was jumping ahead of the evidence though. They still didn't have an ID on her or the other one. She glanced at the other table with a wary and discerning eye.

Doc Robbins caught the glimpse and let her muse. If the abused woman wasn't enough then the dead child certainly would tip that steady calm. "Do you want to move on?"

Sage cleared her throat, "Yeah Doc. Go ahead."

"Second body in a similar decomp state as the first. Stature and structure indicate that this is a male child approximately six to eight years of age based upon the teeth eruption." Doc Robbins walked over to the second table and propped his crutch on the edge of the table. He gently moved the sheet to reveal the nearly complete skeleton of what was unmistakably a child.

When Sara found the original bone, they assumed it to be an adult. As they started sifting and sorting and collecting, it became evident that they weren't dealing with even a small adult. The work became very sober and more so when Sara unearthed the cranium. It was without a doubt the skeleton of a small child. Upon finding it, it had Sage look around at the house and wonder what the hell happened in that place.

Looking at the skeleton as a whole, Sage felt her stomach tighten a bit. She had always been a bit emotional when it came to cases involving children. For most of the people she worked with it was hard and one CSI she knew in DC was an expectant mother at the time they had a kidnapping case that went bad. Deaths made her moody, abuse and molestation; just made her pissed. "He looks so small, Doc."

Doc Robbins gave a somber nod as he watched his colleague look at the remains. Somberly he continued, "Judging by the amount of decay, both the child and Jane Doe were put down at that roughly the same time. TOD is conclusive that they died around the same time."

"Though I sure would like to know who went first. Then I would know how angry to be," Sage replied giving a slight smile to the coroner. She picked up on of the ribs of the child and examined it. "So type of trauma?"

"One. Blunt force trauma." Doc Robbins held up the cranium. With a gloved finger, he pointed to the back of the head. "Blow hit the occipital."

Sage looked at the injury. "Looks like the object was maybe kitty cornered, like the corner in a wall."

"Could be. It was enough to cause the convoluted fracture and because it hit right in the sweet spot, death was almost immediate."

"Still sucks though." Sage looked at the body as she leaned on the table. "Anything for DNA?"

"No such luck but there might be luck in the bones," Robbins confirmed. "I did note one thing that may bear relevance on this." He picked up the humerus and showed it to her. "See the healed fracture?"

Sage peered closer and noted it, "It's sheared."

"It's old but I did notice that there were a couple of others, probably explained by being pushed on the playground."

"But that kind of injury comes from force applied in a twisting motion," Sage countered with a slight frown. "The twisting force, given enough, can fracture a bone in a shearing like motion. A common thing seen in excessive child abuse."

"Usually is," the coroner replied looking at her with a firm look. "If there had been any soft tissue, we might have seen bruises that could substantiate that."

"The kind that they say the kid fell down the stairs when in truth someone lands a hard punch or twists your arm until it breaks." Sage rubbed her right wrist as she mentioned it.

The motion was not lost on Doc Robbins. If he had to guess, it was a subconscious assuaging of an old injury and probably one inflicted under traumatic conditions. He didn't say anything though about it since it could be one of those phantom pain things; seeing broken bones reminded her of the time she may have broken a bone or two.

Sage in the meantime had stopped rubbing her wrist and looked at the bones. "Anything else?

"I'll let you know more when I'm finished. I did get some tissue samples from both. Not much but we can run a panel on them."

"Thanks doc." Sage gave a smile as she walked out of the autopsy room and disposed of her gloves. She paused outside the room and leaned against the wall. She heaved a sigh and ran a hand through her hair and sort of massaged it with her fingers. It seemed silly now that she had teased Warrick about being envious with the type of bodies they had.

It was a coping mechanism and it was on her mind when she talked to Warrick. When she and Sara had uncovered the remains, they both knew that they were going to have to really damp down on the emotions. Now it just seemed like a whole other ballgame in finding out that the kid and the adult were both victims of abuse and in the end they were killed.

Knowing that Sara was waiting for her, she continued to head back to the lab. When she got there Sara was waiting with some info on the wallet she found and it looked like it might be a match to their Jane Doe.

"Name on the driver's license is Claire Bryce, 27 and works for a law firm in Whitney, and has been in missing persons for at least a year."

Sage studied the sheet that Sara held for her. "And coroner places TOD roughly a year ago. Who filed the missing persons?"

Sara gave a slight smile in that she was able to dig up something, "Her husband Roland Bryce. Stated that she went to the grocery store with their seven year old son Taylor and was never seen again and it was not ruled a kidnapping. PD found her car at least a block away from the store that the husband said that they were going to."

"Well both our bodies seem to match the description. The only identifiers we have are the wallet, the necklace and that toy you found with the boy's remains." Sage looked up and thought about it for a moment. Then she glanced at Sara, "Did the police suspect any foul play?"

"No. Roland gave the image of a perfect and happy home."

"Usually how it goes," Sage muttered. She noticed that Sara was looking at her and relayed what she found out, "Our vics both had injuries consistent with domestic abuse. Healed fractures and a recent injury to woman's face consistent with a fist."

Sara had her mouth open slightly so that her teeth showed. "They were abused, killed and dumped?"

"Looks like it but we need to confirm IDs," Sage replied as she continued walking. "Doc has teeth extractions for DNA so we might get lucky if it is who we suspect it is. I'm going to work on the necklace and charm that I found. I think I know how to get a positive ID on that."

"I'll run the other stuff."

"You might want to check hospitals on humerus fractures consistent with shearing. The boy had healed fractures at time of death that are consistent with twisting the limb."

Sara could visually see the motion in how that was done. It was bad and she could just imagine. "Alright. I'll check local hospitals around Whitney and expand from out there. Here." She handed the missing persons report over. "

"Thanks. I'll talk to O'Reilly and see what else he can get me on Roland Bryce." Sage slapped the file against her open palm now filled with a sense of purpose. She gave a look in Sara's direction, "Let's get at it."

"Behind you all the way."

They split up and went to deal with the tasks that they were assigned to. Sage went to the evidence locker to pick up the necklace. She had a hunch that she wanted to play and figured that science would be able to help her in that.

* * *

**A/N:** Looks like Sage has company for the case and a few surprises emerge. Watch as more of the case unfolds on Night Owls...


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

Autopsy sometimes seemed to give a sense of gloom with the lighting but it also gave more of an eerie respect for the things that happened beyond human control. Looking down at the pale face of the girl made it seem… ethereal?

Catherine looked down at the body of Nicole Kirkland. Her eyes were closed and the bruises on her face had become accentuated as time passed. The auburn hair was shoulder length and the skin was creamy in complexion. The disturbing fact was that she had some resemblance to Sage except there was dark eye shadow and the black lipstick and the eyes were different. Plus Sage had more of a tan complexion. This girl was pale.

"Amazing isn't it? She came in after I went through prelim with Parker and I had to do a double take."

Catherine looked up at Doc Robbins, "Yeah and it doesn't help that Parker likes to dress like how we found Nicole. I thought it was Parker when I first saw her in that alley." She sighed and looked at the girl, "So what are we looking at?"

"Well David was right in his assessment. COD is asphyxiation due to strangulation. Perimortem bruising on the neck," Doc Robbins pointed out. "I got two four plus ones on her neck. Looks like your killer grabbed her by the neck and pushed with his thumbs."

"You also got some major work done to the face," Catherine pointed out now that she got over the initial shock.

"Bruises consistent with a human fist. Your guy probably punched her to subdue her."

Catherine could visualize Nicole getting punched by the assailant. She could hear the screams and yelps as the girl was punched. She then could visualize what happened next. Looking at the girl on the slab she asked, "Signs of sexual assault."

"There were signs of sexual assault with vaginal tears. I collected an SAE kit per your request." Doc Robbins looked at the girl and gave a slight sigh. "I also found some abrasions around her neck like a necklace was ripped from her neck."

"Well Nick found one when he back tracked her trail."

Doc Robbins gave a slight nod of agreement. "Makes sense. The abrasions on her knees are consistent with her fall on the pavement."

Catherine nodded, "Anything else?"

Doc Robbins cleared his throat. He wasn't sure how to present this since it he had never seen anything like it before. Still it was pertinent to Catherine's investigation. "There was something that I found. I'm going to need you to help me."

Catherine looked up at the coroner, "Why?"

"What you need to see is on her back. We need to flip her over." Doc Robbins moved to grasp Nicole and turn her over.

Catherine reached over with her gloved hands and helped the coroner turn the body over. When the body was placed on its stomach Catherine got a good look at what Doc Robbins wanted her to see. Her eyes were widened and she was aware that her mouth was opened in astonished shock. "Was this done…?"

"The cuts were done post mortem. No signs of hemorrhaging tissue."

Catherine peered at the cuts on the girls back. They weren't random slashes done to disfigure a body. They were deliberate; they were intended to convey a message. She read the message out loud, "Die Goth Bitch."

"I can tell you that the cuts had been made with a straight edge blade."

"We did find a knife with a straight edge in the alleyway," Catherine replied looking at the injuries on the girl's back. She shook her head slightly at the message.

"I had photos taken of her back for reference."

That would help in some cases but for Catherine; she felt that it was just going to ruffle feathers on the emotional level. If she and Doc Robbins had to do a second look… Still they had a case to work and it looked like it wasn't just simple rape/murder. "Good," she replied, "Tox panel sent up?"

"Of course and I found her blood alcohol to be way above the limit."

"So she was compliant until she realized that things were not going to end well."

Doc Robbins ended up finishing his prelim and Catherine took her leave to head back to the lab. There was the evidence collected from the alley that needed to be processed and Greg was running DNA. She hoped that Grissom didn't prioritize his stuff over hers again. Then again he was the supervisor and it was his prerogative but his current problem, if it was a problem, was the fact that his experiments kept getting moved out of the community fridge. The latest had ended up with the experiment in a fridge that was specifically labeled as belonging to Grissom.

No one was really identified about that but most assumed it was Sage. She never admitted it and it had Catherine wondering how she was able to keep a straight face and have no clue. It was like what she did to Grissom's chess games. It was a good laugh and it seemed to keep the wheels turning. Certainly it was when she caught Sage walking through the lab making a phone call while looking at some evidence in its bag and heading towards one of the viewing rooms.

She found Nick processing some evidence he collected. "What do you got?"

"Well I found this necklace in the alleyway when I was backtracking from where it started." Nick held up the necklace that had the pendant of a Celtic cross. "Clasp is broken, probably ripped off the victim's neck."

"Well Robbins found abrasions," Catherine replied and pulled out the photos. She held them up while Nick did a visual comparison.

"Looks consistent. I'll swab it to confirm it." Nick was finishing his notation on the evidence he was running. "I was able to swab the knife and sent it to Greg and there were some prints, lots of partials. Mandy is working on it."

Catherine nodded, "That's good." She was quiet for a moment before continuing, "Also this may not be just simple homicide. We might be looking at a hate crime."

Nick looked up with a frown, "Hate crime? Rape is about violence, not sex. Anything to indicate otherwise?"

Catherine held out the photos. The saying that a picture speaks a thousand words was right on the money. Even she had trouble voicing it out loud what Robbins showed her and that was after she got a good look and reassuring herself that it wasn't Sage on the slab. She glanced around and notice Sage working on something. She finally said, "Doc said he found these on our victim and given the nature of the wound tracts, they were made post mortem and send a pretty clear message." She watched Nick's reaction.

Nick studied the images. He could see why Catherine would think that it was a hate crime. The phrasing was pretty clear. "Okay but do we have anything that our victim was associated with this group?"

"Hoping her personal effects could tell us and Brass is tracking down her residence," Catherine pointed out.

Nick wasn't willing to jump to conclusions yet but they could get a head start on this… At least he thought they could in order to clarify and give some context to things. He had seen the victim and like David, Brass, Catherine and Doc Robbins, he had a moment of déjà vu. The major difference was the hair length but it was disturbing to the similarities. He voiced, "You know we do have a resident 'member' of that group."

"I don't know Nicky," Catherine replied, "How do we even know if she is an expert? For the most part it is an attempt to be more like Greg."

"Cath, the look was pre-Greggo," Nick pointed out. "It wouldn't hurt and maybe she might have heard something. It was her night off."

That was a possibility. Catherine paused to think about it some. She couldn't help but look in the direction where Sage was working.

* * *

"I talked to O' Reilly and he said that he was doing the work on the husband. He is actually looking forward to informing the husband about his wife and son."

Sage peered through the magnifier she was working under. Her eyes were watery and it wasn't from tiredness. Her vision became a little blurry and she blinked to clear them. She couldn't stop now to put drops into them now since she was close to getting the engraving to appear on the back of the medallion she had been working on. She did acknowledge Sara who had found her and replied, "He was pretty quick."

"Well maybe it was because you asked with that Southern charm of yours," Sara teased.

"Southern charm? That's a given for most people from the South," Sage replied as she used her treated Q-tip to work away the dirt and other whatever it was on the back. "It's bred into us like the stereotype of us being inbred."

Sara leaned on the table and propped her head on hand. She watched Sage work and replied, "And yet you are very good at making Grissom think you had nothing to do with moving his experiments and the new fridge dedicated to his work."

"I'm a poker player, Sara. First rule is never reveal your tells." Sage chuckled and smiled as she found what she had been looking for. "Okay, so why don't you go with O' Reilly to check out the Bryce residence and get a reaction from the husband?"

"Isn't this your case?"

"Got another lead," Sage replied as she snapped her evidence photos and then replaced the medallion in the evidence bag. "One that I think might give us context and possible motive." She straightened to hold the medallion up to the light.

Sara looked at the medallion. "St. George. He's a protector. Legend says that he slayed the devil or something like that."

"Mm-hmm," Sage replied. She blinked some more since her vision was blurry and watery. She wasn't tired since she was fired up on the case though she was willing to concede that it was a possibility. Grissom had called her to take it and she pulled it just as the shift was over and she had been up late… so maybe it was catching up to her but she was hot on a case now.

"Thinking it might be something to confirm identity?"

"Yep but not what you might think." Sage started walking out of the lab and still looking at the medallion. She didn't have to look to know that Sara was following her. "Sara when you talk to the husband, don't mention the medallion. Not yet."

Sara raised her brow, "Any reason why?"

"I just want to be sure of something and by not revealing it, we may keep certain persons out of the limelight that have been trying to stay out of it." Sage stopped to look at Sara and sent a silent exchange.

Sara took in the expression. She could surmise that whatever it was, it was something that possibly had something to do with the fact that their victims were the subject of domestic abuse. It occurred to her that the medallion came from a place that preferred to remain anonymous. She nodded, "Alright. By the way, I'm still running those records within the timeline we have. I found that Taylor Bryce was treated for a broken arm with same injuries found on our skeleton. Mom, Claire said that he had fallen and tried grabbing the railing."

"Hmm. Same excuse," Sage muttered. She fingered the evidence bag. "Okay so we have a positive ID on the boy. Go with O' Reilly and talk to the husband. Anything you pick up, reaction, phrasing, note it and let me know. I'm going to track down this medallion."

"Alright," Sara replied. "Am I assuming that I'm doing your work now?"

"No. Just that my lead needs a bit of delicate hand if I'm right about it," Sage replied. She gave a slight smile and added, "Perhaps a bit of Southern charm is needed and I know if I go to the Bryce house, the hurricane might be in full warning when I'm done."

Sara nodded, "I got ya Parker. I'll track down O' Reilly. Later?"

"Sure." Sage stood in the hall to let Sara pass before heading out and requisitioning a Tahoe from the garage. She headed out to the one place she was certain that could help her with the medallion. She had to check this hunch out.

Thirty minutes later found Sage parked in the Tahoe within viewing distance of a nondescript building. It was not a savory neighborhood being consisting mostly of low income families and apartment complexes that seemed to have seen better days. From the outside it looked like a building that had been in foreclosure given the graffiti but Sage knew that the more you blended in, the more you could hide in plain sight.

It was a bit of a walk but Sage didn't want to risk being called out as a cop. She left her vest and kit in the Tahoe and put her ID on her hip. She debated on leaving her gun behind but decided against it. Her coat was long enough to hide it and it made her look like a detective or someone who worked. It would have to do. As she stood at the door, Sage sighed as she looked at it and remembered another time she paid a visit to one of these places…

_"You should file charges. We have the evidence."_

_ The woman kept her head lowered and looked at her daughter playing on the floor. Her long hair hid her face as she replied, "Then why do you need me?"_

_ "He hit you. He hit your daughter."_

_ "He said he would change."_

_ Sage looked at the woman. She could see the bruising on the face. The fat lip made her look like she had been in a fight. Her throat convulsed before she replied, "His kind never change. He doesn't want to change."_

Sage waited as the door was opened and she was shown in. Once inside she greeted the door keeper, "Nadine, hi. Everything working all right?"

The very petite woman looked at Sage and nodded. "TRO was filed but I didn't stay at the motel. I came here and Sister Alice said I could stay. In exchange I screen people."

Sage gave a nod. Nadine Price looked like she was too small to do anything much less defend herself. Sage knew her to be a fierce fighter and for good reason since she was known as the kickboxing champion for Clark County. What most people didn't know was that while she gave a tough and good sportsman like conduct to the public, she had an ugly side that included an abusive husband. Sage had been called into a domestic disturbance and that was how she met the kickboxing champ.

It wasn't the job of a CSI to be a social worker. Their job was to process the evidence and to remain objective. Yet Nadine came to Sage and asked for help. Now Nadine was living in a battered women's shelter… technically it was for women but there were a couple of men who had been abused living there. It was an oddball arrangement but they were all united due to the fact that they were all victims.

Nadine led the way to where Sister Alice was conducting inventory and the books for the place. Sage was left in the small office that barely held two people. It sort of felt like being in the principal's office while she stood waiting while Sister Alice finished her business so she looked at the walls. There were nothing but pictures on the walls; the success stories so to speak. Sage found Nadine with other women and the banner in the background spoke of a women's self-defense training. She couldn't help but smile at that one.

"A big risk bringing your gun here."

Sage gave a wry grin as she looked at the dark colored nun that didn't look like a nun. It probably helped in that she didn't dress as people traditionally thought of nuns. Personally she thought that it didn't matter if Sister Alice was wearing a habit or not; she was one you didn't want to mess with. She replied, "Part of the job, Sister Alice."

Sister Alice looked up from her work. She studied the CSI who was looking at her with a serious expression on her face. "And you think that you're going to find anything here?"

"I need some information."

"This is a battered person's shelter. We are known by word of mouth and that is how our residents know that they are safe from the bastards that beat them. I can't violate their safety. You know this Parker." Sister Alice folded her hands over the top of her desk.

Sage nodded, "I know sister but I have two bodies at the morgue, both with injuries consistent with a beating." She put her hand in her coat pocket. She pulled out the medallion in its evidence back and held it out saying, "And this was found with them. It's St. George, the shelter's patron."

Sister Alice took the evidence bag to take a look. "So? A lot of our residents have one. What do you expect me to do?"

"I know you give them to each new resident. One of my bodies is a woman by the name of Claire Bryce. She has a son Taylor. I want to know if they were residents here or if they passed through onto one of the other shelters." Sage knew she was asking for a lot from the nun. The sister was right in that this place's location was passed by word of mouth and that was how she found out about the place and from someone who worked in one and one of her bowling nuns mentioned it. "Sister, I know understand the need to keep things secret. I know the game."

It was probably a poor choice of words but Sage didn't want anything lost in translation. She knew that anything she gathered for the case had to be documented and of course that could bring up certain issues. She had learned long ago though how to be accurate without putting places like the St. George Battered Persons shelter at risk; a skill acquired when learning the ropes with Orleans PD and later refined at DC Metro.

Sister Alice knew Sage well and knew that she wouldn't jeopardize the residents intentionally or otherwise. She would bend over backwards to keep that from happening. She nodded, "Claire came here about a year ago. Taylor's arm was in a cast at the time and I let her stay. I gave her this. It's an older one as you can tell. I let her stay and she agreed to the rules of shelter. She was even willing to pay for her and Taylor to stay."

"What happened? Did she leave with the intent of finding a new place?"

The rules were basic in terms of building upkeep. Residents could stay as long as they needed but with the understanding that they would eventually find a new place and made other arrangements. Sage suspected that maybe Claire was moving out and possibly divorcing her husband. She made a mental note to check for records of any divorce, TROs or anything like that filed.

"She seemed like she was going to stay for a while. The poor girl was scared out of her mind," Sister Alice replied as she stood up to hand the medallion back. "I've seen it too many times and I was willing to make an exception of extending her stay."

"I can only imagine," Sage replied her voice laced with sympathy. "Did she interact with any of the other residents?"

"She went to work and came back here. Taylor went to school," Sister Alice replied shaking her head slightly. "I just oversee and make sure the rules are followed and that the bills are paid."

"Day to day stuff," Sage nodded in agreement. This was going to be an interesting position. Still she had to venture a try. "Did you notice her interacting with anyone? The other residents? Someone she was particularly close to?"

Sister Alice thought about it for a moment. She nodded and replied, "There were a couple of residents that she talked to but that was nearly a year ago."

"Do you have any names? Addresses, if they found a new place?"

"Are you seriously trying to cross lines here?" Sister Alice put her hands on her hips. "They came here for a new life."

"And they were last seen with the victim. I'm trying to figure out what happened." Sage calmed herself and sighed. Taking a deep breath, she spoke in a low voice, "Claire was found with multiple fractures to the face consistent with being hit with a fist. That was before she was stabbed to death. I suspect that she went back to collect things. I need to verify that."

Sister Alice gave an equally hard stare. When she first met the CSI it was when she was bringing in a girl leaving her abusive boyfriend and she liked the woman. There had been others who came alone but dropping the CSI's name and the sister knew that the shelter was keeping with its credo of word of mouth. Still what Sage was asking, it was like opening the door to the ugliness that they left behind.

Sage could sense that it was putting the sister in a hard place. She was willing to opt for compromise and suggested, "If giving me that is an issue… why not have them come here? Familiar settings and put the ball in their court in regards to their privacy."

Sister Alice considered it. It was reasonable in that the women wouldn't have to reveal their new addresses if they didn't want to and even though they would be talking to a criminalist who worked for LVPD, they were in a place that they would be comfortable in rather than at the station. "I can make a couple of calls to see if they are willing to come down."

"That would be more than enough, Sister," Sage replied in a soft tone.

"It would have to be at night since they do work…"

"Agreeable since I am grave shift." Sage was aware that she was being probably too agreeable to the conditions but damaged psyches did need to have something that was comfortable enough to put the person at ease. It made them more willing to talk and she was interested in Clair Bryce as a person from this side of the tracks; the part that was usually explained away by accidents or hidden completely from public view.

"No police work or whatever you do."

"I'm afraid I can't promise that." At the look the sister was giving her, Sage continued, "If there is evidence that suggests something not right, then I will have to do my job. I won't outwardly accuse them but I will give them fair warning. It will be voluntary." She looked at the sister, hoping that the woman would see where she was coming from.

Sister Alice thought about it for a time. It was risky but she knew that if someone did have a hand, they needed to be brought to justice even though there was only one who could cast judgment. She nodded after a moment and said, "Alright. I can work with that. The ladies you'll be speaking to are Janice Turner and Laurie Greer. If they agree, I'll contact you."

"Fair enough."

* * *

**A/N:** So we go through autopsy and Sage follows a lead. Seems like she likes to pass off a few things but we'll see. Keep watching for more Night Owls...


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

Sara took in the pristine walls of the house and the décor. It didn't speak of a happy home nor did it reflect the mood of a grieving husband and father. To her it seemed that it was void of all emotion. The sharp corners and the black and white contrasts… it just didn't seem like Roland Bryce had any emotions for his missing family. First blush told her that he probably hadn't thought of his family at all given the way he looked at her and O' Reilly when they knocked on the door.

When Bryce answered the door, Sara responded to his inquiry with the usual, "Mr. Roland Bryce? I'm Sara Sidle with the Las Vegas Crime Lab and this is Det. O' Reilly."

Bryce let them in but didn't give the picture of a grieving or worried husband. He led them to his living room and invited them to sit, "Uh can you tell me what this is about?"

Sara had let O' Reilly take the wheel then and he asked Bryce about the missing person's report he filed on his wife and son. She was surprised at how casual he sounded when he asked if they found them. She was careful to reserve judgment since it could be that he was the type that didn't like to show his feelings in public. Or he could be a wife beater and in the process killed his son and maybe it was an accident.

"I… I keep hoping that someone would call or Claire would just walk through the front door," Bryce was saying. He shook his head as if in regret and added, "I just can't believe they are gone. I just…"

"Mr. Bryce, was there any reason that Claire would just disappear?"

"As I told you people before, there was no reason for it. We had a good marriage," Bryce replied with a firm look.

Sara took a mental note of the man's reaction as she continued, "Was there anyone that would have any reason to hurt your wife or son?"

"No. Claire was liked by everybody and Taylor was a good boy."

Sara and O' Reilly asked a couple of other questions. Bryce answered them. Since Sara didn't have a warrant to search the premises and she doubted that Bryce was going to let her, she was polite and thanked him for his time. As she walked through the house, she noted a few things, particularly a picture on the mantle that had the family in front of the fire place. She studied it and noticed something that caught her eye. She didn't want to give away too much but she was drawn to the picture and it looked like they might have a clue.

"That's last year's picture. The family portrait we sent to everyone. Done right here," Bryce supplied.

Sara didn't want to betray her suspicions so she commented, "It's a lovely picture. I truly am sorry for your loss." It almost felt like it was tongue in cheek. She was sorry; sorry that Claire married someone like Bryce and she ended up dead after being his punching bag.

"I have to tell her mother. I don't know how to break it to her."

Sara thought she had detected a tone of voice not typical of a grieving husband. Of course she could be a bit prejudicial about it since the very idea of his type really rankled. She just merely nodded and allowed Bryce to let her and O' Reilly out. Once outside she asked the detective on the way back to the vehicle, "So what do you think?"

"Doesn't sound like he's brokenhearted."

"My thoughts exactly," Sara replied, "And I think that picture on the mantel gives a clue."

"The picture was the murder weapon? Didn't look damaged."

"No but the fireplace itself. The one we saw looks different from the one in the picture and it could be that it was broken or hiding what killed the boy."

"So he changed it to hide the evidence," O'Reilly mused as they got into the car and headed back to PD.

Sage was not back yet but there was plenty for Sara to do. She decided to follow up and see if there were any reports of domestic disturbances against Roland Bryce. She also recalled that Claire had a mother. There was also the paltry physical evidence that they collected at the cabin up there. As she sat at the computer in the lab, she thought about where they found the bodies. She figured that if Bryce killed his wife and son and knew about the place, he might have property in the area. There was another source of evidence to look at.

She was about to get to work when her phone rang. She picked it up and said, "Having fun taking a walk?"

_You'd be surprised at how much you can find when you stop and smell the roses._

Sara smirked a bit, "So you had a good time then."

_Always do Sara. How did it go with Bryce?_

"Well he wasn't broken up that his wife and son was found dead. In fact he seemed like he was not concerned with it." Sara looked around but her attention was focused on the conversation. "It could be that he did it."

_A possibility but I have met types like him that believe to show emotion is a waste of time. Was there anything to suggest he might have done it? See anything?_

"Well we didn't have a warrant so we couldn't search the house and I didn't want to tip him off that we had him as a suspect by asking. Besides if he asked for a warrant we're gonna need more than what we have if we're going to get inside."

_But I sense that you found something that was in plain sight. Give._

"The fireplace," Sara replied with a slight smile.

_The fireplace?_

"It's possible that it matches the injury on Taylor Bryce's head. There was a family picture on the mantle taken last year and it looks different from the one that is there now." Sara paused to see if Sage was going to reply. The lack of response told her that Sage was coming to the same conclusions.

_Meaning that it could have caused the blunt force trauma. That leaves us the tool marks on Claire Bryce._

"Again we need a search warrant since I doubt Bryce will let us in. But I can tell you're up to something."

_In the mood for an experiment?_

"You know what I like Parker." Sara couldn't help but smile at that since she started getting into the habit of sounding like Sage. She couldn't explain it well but the jovial nature Sage had on a daily basis, even when she was feeling down, it was infectious. It was like she was the younger sister that everyone couldn't help but love but Sara knew that Sage wasn't just curls and bows; she was a woman who was a scientist and did have a way of speaking her mind. Certainly she liked watching how she and Nick verbally sparred.

_You know I do. I'll head to the lab and we can simulate Taylor's injury._

"Take your time. I know you pace yourself and you did have a wild night," Sara teased. "Det. Aguilar does know quite a bit about old Vegas."

_I'm sure he does. Just make sure you can keep up._

"You're on."

_See you in about an hour._

* * *

Sage finished what she was doing and was looking at the wall of pictures. She found it interesting how homey it looked on the inside even though the outside of the place looked like it was a dump. Homeless shelters were less homey and more utilitarian. She figured that it had to do with the person who was running the show. Certainly Sister Alice had a big hand in things; that and money usually helps with it.

"Sister Alice likes to hang the success stories here. It sort of gives hope."

Sage turned to look at Nadine who had joined her. "I like it. A good way to remind the abused person that there is hope and a way out. Look at you."

Nadine gave a full-fledged smile of her shining white teeth that was a sharp contrast to her dark skin, "This is all part of the publicity of being a kickboxing champ. Most of the time I'm a mess."

"That photo I saw in the office about taking back the power says otherwise," Sage replied as she motioned towards the office.

"Some of the ladies and a few of the men asked about self-defense lessons. I ran it by Sister Alice and we started a couple of classes," Nadine replied. Instinctively she ran a hair along her smooth hair to the bun that was at the nape of her neck.

Sage studied the woman who stood as a symbol of strength for women. She was amused that she was a petite woman even though she had African American roots as well as Indian roots and yet she had seen her take down a man roughly the size of Nick and pin him like it was nothing. "Looks like it has grown to an event," she said.

"That was Joni's idea. She thought that if abuse victims got together and did a sort of take back the power thing…" Nadine shrugged her shoulders. She looked at the pictures. "We did good but I think we could do better."

Sage gave a slight twist of her head as she studied the pictures. "Maybe you could get a city org on board. Do an exhibition and rally to take back the power. Might bring on some publicity that you need." She shrugged her shoulders since it was a suggestion.

Nadine looked at the CSI and narrowed her eyes slightly but not in an angry way. This was how the same CSI got her to come forward and file charges against her husband and soon to be ex-husband once the divorce was finalized. She had to admit that it felt like how her husband used to keep her under his thumb but the difference was that there was no malice in it. There was a sincere desire to help even though Sage's business was collecting and analyzing evidence. She nodded in agreement, "Could be a possibility. You know anything about the sheriff's schedule?"

Sage chuckled, "Check in with his publicist. Mobley runs a tight schedule. Do it soon and you might end up helping him run for mayor."

"I guess I better make a few calls to a few people. Maybe make it a charity event. I know a few ladies who'd like to have fun with LVPD," Nadine replied with a teasing tone. She sobered though and said, "I hope you find out what happened to Claire and Taylor."

Sage looked at Nadine, "You know something?"

"I know that Claire was going to leave her husband. She was willing to file divorce papers the day she was last seen here," Nadine replied in a low voice. She looked around to make sure no one was listening and said, "I wasn't here then but there were some who talked and others who were long gone and living their lives free."

"That's why I had Sister Alice set me up with those women to talk to here. I know that she will do her best and explain why I need to have an officer present." Sage paused. She couldn't say anything more about the case but she was curious about something and changed the subject, "I know that this center gives out St. George medallions but Sister Alice changed to different ones. Do you know when?"

"I wasn't here a year ago but there were some women from then that had the old ones. After that it was this" Nadine showed off hers.

Sage nodded as she thought about it. "Thank you Nadine. I'll see myself out. I gotta get back."

"Hope you solve it."

"Me too," Sage muttered as she walked away. Her phone rang and she answered it, "Parker."

* * *

The apartment was pristine and clean. There was nothing to indicate that Nicole Kirkland was Goth. None of the usual paraphernalia was around but the choice in furniture was something that didn't seem to fit in with her pay grade. Nick looked around trying to ascertain the type of person this woman was.

He had gone to the apartment while Catherine was following other leads to see if there was anything to indicate a possible suspect like an ex-boyfriend or something. He expected to see a lot of dark things going on and posters of Goth bands and the like. There was nothing like it around and it had him think that she was a closet Goth.

The apartment was furnished with furniture that was consistent with the Romantic period in literature. The wood on the furniture was dark like a rich cherry wood with very ornate carving. Nick thought that she had thousands of dollars' worth of furniture in there considering that it was very ornate and looked like a specialty job, possibly antique and it was everywhere.

There was nothing too indicative of the living room or the kitchen so he went to the bedroom. That room was like the other and he was surprised at the canopy bed. "This girl likes to live in style," he muttered as he took a look around. There were a couple of pictures, one had what appeared to be a possible boyfriend. Apart from that, it was neat and tidy.

_And I thought Parker was a neat freak._

It wasn't a mean thought at all since Nick was thinking about Sage's campaign of trying to 'train' Grissom out of putting his experiments in the community fridge. He had also seen how she would systematically fix the samples that were in queue for analysis so they were appropriate in terms of case number and the usual protocols. It was funny enough to make Nick think about what would happen if Sage and the evidence clerk were set on each other. He recalled the last case, a simple robbery at a convenience store and he laughed at her when he saw her filling out a non-standard, non-official form and he asked what she was doing.

She called it a scene log; it was like an evidence inventory log but one that she made to keep track of evidence as it was collected. Name, case file number, CSI who collected it and where. She explained that she had started it when a case she inherited ended up missing the weapon in an assault that turned deadly. It frustrated her and she made it a point to triple check the evidence if necessary. More work for her but it worked and it had come handy a couple of times when they thought they lost evidence.

If Nick had to venture a guess, even her house was neat and it didn't matter that she had Riley the Irish terrier that bit him and now was her pet. That was what he could say about Nicole Kirkland's place. It was like the girl was a complete contradiction of how they found her. Even Brass' interviews with her friends and co-workers said otherwise.

The closet was next on his list and that was a surprise there. The clothing was organized, no surprise there, and there was where the clues seemed to fit to together. The more Nick looked at it, the more he was starting to become convinced that his victim took a leaf out of Sage Parker's book. The clothing tended to trend dark and the color that did exist was done in a retro style reminiscent of a time long gone.

There was also some clothing that did play on the stereotype of the obsession with death like PJs with skulls that were more cute than anything. It sort of helped that the skulls were in the girly pink style. Nick did find a couple of suits that were strictly business profession but slightly different to allow that retro feel that the rest of the wardrobe was comprised of. Still it wasn't enough to convince Nick that she really was a Goth.

He finished up what he was doing and even noted a few things that were similar to the necklace that the victim wore. He took a picture of the picture that had the possible boyfriend on it. Apart from the place itself he only found one thing that seemed to stick out. It was a letter that had been left open on the table near the door. A few phrases were in what he recognized as French and gave a slight eye roll but looked forward to another verbal sparring. The rest was in English and Nick could make out that it was some kind of threat to Nicole about being what she was. He bagged it and took it with him back to the lab.

He had pulled back up just as a familiar Tahoe did and out jumped the person of interest he needed to see. He called out, "Don't you ever sleep, Parker?"

Sage shut the door to the Tahoe after pulling out her kit. It was an ingrained habit to carry a kit everywhere on the job. The time at the shelter was a bit mood dampening but prospects were good and it seemed the mood was better now that Nick was in her sights. She grinned, "I do. I keep hours like a bat."

Nick chuckled as he grabbed his stuff, "And I bet you sleep in a coffin too."

"You know I actually once did but the occupant that owned it wasn't too happy. Then again I wouldn't be happen if someone was pushed into one," Sage replied in a thoughtful manner as she approached Nick's vehicle.

Nick looked at Sage trying to decide if she was teasing or not. He had been fooled before by a few of her stories and she did have a way of making you question how sure you were about things. He went with the best way he knew to try and get the truth: he asked a questioned designed to make her indignant, "You test drive at mortuaries?"

"Never considered that," Sage replied with a smile, guessing what Nick was up to. She loved teasing him because it was easy to and usually they had a good laugh afterwards. "Do you think they should make that an option? But I would think cremation urns would be a bit difficult."

"Now you're talking shit," Nick countered.

"Usually do. It's just funny because you take it so seriously," Sage replied with a straight face. She blinked a bit since her eyes started watering again even though she put in drops before she left. It was probably because she was tired.

"Yeah because I expect a straightforward answer from people; I don't like it when people pull Grissom and do a puzzle. And half the time when you're joking, you can make it sound real." Nick tried not to sound petulant about it.

"Maybe I just like doing it to make you pay for rule 41," Sage dropped as she assumed the cute innocent girl pose. It wasn't completely innocent sine she looked Nick in the eye as if to dare him to say anything different. "After all it is hard to forgive and forget when a good cup of coffee is on the line," she added.

Nick took in the pose with a slightly narrowed look and said, "Rule 41? You're serious?"

Sage dropped her act quickly, "Nope. You learned your lesson." She gave a grin and added, "Admit it Stokes, you like it when I get one up on you since you always seem to come back for more. I'm beginning to think that you're a glutton for punishment."

Nick's narrowed eyes dropped into a grin. He locked up the Tahoe he was driving and replied, "Maybe so. You can be irritating."

"But you love it." Sage couldn't help but laugh a little. As they started walking back into the lab she stayed in step and asked, "So what's the 411?"

"How do you know I want to ask you something about a case? It could be that I might be offering a chance at debt collection." Nick looked at Sage who was looking like she was going for a stroll around a park rather than going to work in a crime lab.

"Because you get yourself in a jam with verbal sparring before asking me about a case and if you wanted debt collection, you would ask if I was busy," she rattled off and actually counted on her fingers. "If you actually cared about what I did at home you'd ask about that or make a comment about Riley."

"Hey that mutt bit me."

"And you lived. Let it go," Sage replied as if trying to soothe a grumpy child. "So what do you need? I gotta meet Sara in the garage. Experiment."

"I thought you had the night off?"

"Shorthanded. So?"

Nick frowned a bit wondering if Sage actually did have a life outside of the lab. He went to business though and explained, "Well Catherine and I were on a 419 and the victim was sexually assaulted, raped and killed."

"Okay so what do you need me for?"

"Victim was dressed in clothing that you'd be familiar with." Nick shot a look at Sage as if to prompt her to figure it out. "She was dressed as a Goth but the thing is her life's a complete contrast to the whole Goth thing. Everything in her apartment was… normal except for expensive furniture."

"And that's where you went wrong, Stokes," Sage replied as she continued their walk. "The religious fanatics as well as the posers painted this bleak image of Goths to the point that people think that they are freaks who worship Satan. No so. What was her clothing like?"

"Um… modern but with retro look. A lot of black but quite a bit of color."

"Goths do have a unique sense of style and true Goths gravitate towards that old look like Romantic era aka Bram Stoker style but they make it unique. They like darker things and do listen to music like Dismember and Bauhaus."

"And what about the people who turn to it because they feel they don't fit in?"

"Posers for the most part. Goths don't envy popular people. They are what they are because they like it. From what you described of the victim, she probably has a wardrobe that is professional but tailored to reflect her taste and style of Goth. It's easy and interesting combinations come from mixing retro with modern."

Nick thought about it for a moment and took it in. He glanced at Sage and noticed that she was also describing herself to a degree. He noticed that her jacket was cut to look like period wear but it was modern. She was wearing black mostly but that was probably a professional thing except for the shirt. Then there was the dog collar. "You know quite a bit about this. You sure you're not full time Goth?"

Sage looked at her person and gave a chuckle and replied, "Maybe. I do listen to Goth music which was an offshoot of punk rock in the 80s and definitely no Manson. That doesn't count. Just don't tell Greg." She shrugged her shoulders as she paused in the hall, "Not all Goths dress alike but they are people that are not the kind to go with the in-crowd. Think outside the box kind of thing. That help?"

"A little. Thanks Parker."

"No problem," Sage replied as she started down the hall to meet Sara. As an afterthought, she paused and turned back. "Oh and Stokes, some like to wear the religious jewelry like Celtic crosses. Many are people who believe."

It certainly helped a bit as Nick went to log in his letter. He had forgotten to ask Sage to read the French. He could do that later and continued on his way to meet Catherine.

* * *

**A/N:** Case is moving along on both ends and Nick learns a little more about Sage even though she is talking about someone watching for more Night Owls...


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5**

"Ready for test?"

Sara looked at Sage in her coveralls goggles on as she finished the last prepping of the experiment. She had managed to find a replica of the fireplace that was in the picture that she saw on the mantle and Sage went to work on the dummy. Now they had it set up and were going to work out a possible scenario.

Sage looked at Sara and replied, "Good to go. Now I am assuming that Claire and Bryce were in an argument. Most cases I've seen it's an argument that escalates."

"Maybe Taylor tried to stop it," Sara pointed out.

Sage looked at the dummy and then started moving it. "If that is the case, Bryce would have had to push the kid hard enough. Taylor falls and hits the corner of the mantle like this." She slammed the child dummy's head right in the area that the blunt force trauma was held.

Sara looked at the spatter that occurred. There would have been very little spatter. With blows to the head, the first hit was a freebie. When Sage lifted the dummy, they could see similar injuries to the back of the skull. All it took was one blow to kill the kid but a shot like that… "So it was…"

"Stroke of luck, for lack of better word usage, that the kid died with one blow. I don't think Bryce was aiming and probably wasn't expecting it. It was an accident." Sage looked at the mantle and the dummy as she ran it through. A slight frown appeared on her features as she was working it through.

"Taylor's death may have been the trigger for Clair to fight back," Sara said softly as they looked at the scene.

They looked at the dummy on the ground and then were able to visualize Claire screaming in anger. She probably already had a black eye from getting a slap. Now she went in fighting. Bryce punched her once to stop her and then continued to hit her. At some point a knife was grabbed and they fought...

Sage had a thought, "Were you able to see anything that might have been a defensive wound on Bryce?"

"You're thinking maybe she turned the knife on him in self-defense?"

"Possibly. Most people aren't pushovers. When push comes to shove, they fight back and often the need to survive is what gets going. I'm betting Claire was a fighter given the fracture patterns on her face."

Sara recalled her conversation with Bryce. She thought she saw something but couldn't tell. "You know he was wearing a long sleeve shirt but I did see something that might have been a scar."

"If it was a serious injury, he might have gone to an ER to stitch it up or avoided it entirely," Sage pointed out. She looked at what they had and thought about it some. They didn't have much unless O' Reilly managed to find something that would get them into the Bryce home. "Thing is we don't have much to get us into the home… just what the bodies tell us and the remains."

"I can check to see if Bryce did visit an ER around the time of his wife's disappearance," Sara replied. She knew that they didn't have much and she had gotten the feeling that Bryce wasn't going to volunteer to a search unless compelled by the court.

"You sure?"

"No problem," Sara replied. She gave a slight smile, "Saves me from cleaning up." She motioned to their mess.

Sage gave Sara a slight look. "Then again I'm fond of saying your lead, run with it."

"Technically it's yours since you're the one who thought of defensive wounds and you seem to know something about fighting." Sara gave a playful suspicious look in Sage's direction.

Sage merely smiled back as she took photos for reference just in case they were ever able to get into the Bryce home and replied, "I studied people when I wasn't looking at the chemical compounds that make up the human genome. Plus I may have gotten into a couple of fights growing up."

"You? Sage Parker? Fighting?" Sara looked like she had been told that she won the jackpot at the slots. "No way."

Sage chuckled, enjoying the moment. She could recall one fighting that wasn't really a fight but more like mud wrestling and it was with her favorite cousin. That was something that occasionally brought laughs when they talked. "Yes way," she replied, "I may have been military brat but I did have cousins and we lived in bayou country. We were dumb hicks." She deliberately stressed her accent to sound like she was one of those rednecks out in the hicks. "Yeap after shooting them possum we had scuffles and stuff."

Sara couldn't help but start to laugh. It seemed that every time a situation got too serious, Sage was right there to pull them out of pits of despair. She wasn't trying to be vulgar and even knew when to push and when to give in situations. Certainly the ongoing back and forth over Grissom's experiments was something to laugh about since she never owned up to it though Grissom always suspected. Then there was the fact that Sage always seemed happy about something. Sure she was serious when conducting the science but she had a sense of humor that lifted the sterile atmosphere and made it pleasant.

Sage looked over at Sara as she started cleaning up. She thought that Sara had a nice laugh when she relaxed a little. She was well aware that there were some things that were strange to others like her incessant need to be so cheerful even when it was serious that seemed to tickle people. Most definite was Greg since they were like two peas in a pod. The others were adjusted based on their personality, like her and Warrick when they hung out and he taught her a little about playing odds and poker. Catherine it was like a mature relationship, Grissom was comfortable mentor/student and Nick… She couldn't say yet but it seemed to suit that it was a weird love-hate… sort of.

Sara managed to get control of her laugh and say, "Could it be any different from hunting alligators?"

"I just made that up," Sage replied, "But it seems people still like that one."

"You know the grapevine Parker. The more memorable things tend to stick around."

"Oh God I hope not," Sage countered in mock worry. She continued with a smile on her face, "I'll finish here and get my report written."

"Heading home?"

"Well if my request panned out at my lead, I won't be meeting them until later tonight," Sage replied.

"Getting old? Need a nap instead of midnight oil?" Sara gave a teasing look that was also a bit of a challenge. She helped pick up the dummy and got it ready to be sent to clean up. "That's not the Parker I know."

"Even a Parker needs a couple of hours especially if she's checking out the club she mentioned last week. By the way, you still want to go?" Sage gave a slight frown since it was unusual. "I mean the line dancing was spontaneous and then the film noir thing the other time…"

Sara knew where this was going. It was still new to her. "Yeah, I want to go. It would be nice to see where you come from with your style."

Sage raised her brow at that response, "Don't ever sound like that again. I prefer badass Sara." She gave a grin to indicate that it was a compliment. "But it is nice to have something different. Okay, I'll check it out see if it is worth it. If not, I know one closer to the Strip."

"Next night off then?"

"Most definitely."

Sara grinned and left to go follow the lead about Bryce while Sage finished cleaning up the garage. The last experiment she did was a bit more messy and proved a point especially when they were trying to identify if wood chippers had unique tool marks. The wonderful things a pig could do when simulating the human body and in that case a severed leg.

Sage finished cleaning up and went to complete the report that needed to be worked on. She had cultivated the habit of working on her reports as she went rather than saving it until the end. It was common sense really especially when writing field reports for being at the scene. Plus she had to do some checking and logging the evidence on her version of an evidence check list. It added to her workload but it worked for her and Grissom didn't say anything about it when she handed in her last proficiency complete with everything she had done on the case.

It had been long and since she hadn't had sleep and Sara had her thing going on, she decided to clock out. She could tell that coffee wasn't going to keep her going and considering that she had been up most of the night on her night off… She walked through the lab with her bag slung over her shoulders and headed out to the parking lot, prepared to call a cab to meet her at a place nearby. She still hadn't gotten her car back from evidence from the Homicide Society case and she had put in her petition but she wasn't going to quibble too much. Greg had occasionally given her a lift and a neighbor who worked nights on her job at one of the casino hotels gave her a lift so it wasn't too bad. She contemplated on just forgetting the whole thing and buying a new car and it seemed to be the likely choice and Padre had a car she was interested in.

She was thinking about it when her neighbor came up and offered the ride home. They chatted on the way home and Sage came to the decision. When she was dropped off, she made a call and went inside her place and was greeted by a very happy Riley.

"Sure thing Padre. If you could bring it over and we have the papers signed over like last time, we'll be good to go. If we could get it done today that would be great. Before shift."

_Anything for you._

Sage smiled, "Old flattered. Thanks."

_It will be there._

Sage smiled as she hung up and checked the time. She called and left a message at the next number and changed her clothes. A run seemed like a good idea and Riley needed exercise. The dog was chomping at the bit when he saw her get the lead and was ready to go.

Running daily was something that Sage tried to do when she could. Hitting a local gym also helped but there was something relaxing about running out in the open. What made it better was having Riley to join her on her runs. The dog was a working breed and needed the exercise so it was almost a bit of a training session for her too. Riley was fast on the runs and she was working to building up her endurance.

The run went pretty good and wore both her and Riley out so by the time they got back to the house, Riley was ready to snooze or do what he did in the back yard. Sage had a light meal and took a shower before settling down to get a few hours of sleep.

* * *

Catherine took in her surroundings with a raised brow. She half expected to come into a place that was dark and creepy but surprisingly it was very light even though the furnishings were dark. It had almost an old time elegance to it which she admired and could appreciate. She looked across to the man that was sitting in an armchair and looked very comfortable about it.

Lawrence Freemont looked like someone that did a time warp from the 1700s to the present as he sat dressed in slacks with a suede or velvet dress coat that was a dark red. He wore a shirt that was frilly and a vest. The silk tie added to the effect quite nicely and had Catherine thinking he was something out of one of those vampire movies. He was polite though and made her feel welcome even though he was trying hard not to shed tears when she revealed that Nicole Kirkland was dead.

Nick's search turned up a possible boyfriend and inquiries were made that he was Nicole's boyfriend. So Catherine decided to come and ask questions and dragged Brass along for the ride. She did have to admit that to see the flicker that was so faint appear and disappear on his face was a bit funny. Catherine suspected that he was expecting someone that the stereotypes were. Then again this was Vegas and stranger things have happened.

"You were expecting a different look weren't you?"

Catherine looked at Freemont and replied, "I guess I'm just used to seeing one type."

Freemont smiled gently, "Not all us Goths are the all black type and moody depressive. Those kind are pretty much posers."

Catherine gave a slight nod of agreement. She had spoken to Nick and he gave a few indicators. She suspected he had gone to Sage for a little help since she was the resident Goth and would know a thing or two even though she said she was mild compared to others. "I see and you and Nicole were the genuine article?"

"With Goths, we don't necessarily care about being popular but are interested in marching to the beat of our drum. Most are creative with things. We don't' all look alike and we do have a preference for darker things." Freemont looked at the CSI who was looking at him. "Do you think someone attacked Nicole because she was a Goth?"

"We're looking into possibilities," Catherine replied, not wanting to give away anything. "We are looking to see if Nicole had any enemies, people who may have been jealous or…"

Freemont thought about it a bit. He shook his head in the negative, "Nothing comes to mind. For the most part we appeared very low key. Some Goths dress in the early movement when it became an offshoot of punk rock."

Catherine nodded and filed away the information for later. It seemed that her preconceptions were challenged and they had before. Certainly the surprises were minimizing like when she first met Lady Heather. And living in a town like Vegas, you start to get used to the strange stuff. "Mr. Freemont, when was the last time you saw Nicole?"

"We were supposed to go to the new club Forsaken together but I had to cancel at the last minute. I had to work. We have a deal that was just closed." Freemont looked in the drawer in the table next to his chair and pulled out a card and handed it over to Brass. "You can call and verify."

Catherine studied the man. "You seem like you've done this before."

"I've learned to expect worst case, Ms. Willows. We as a group are misunderstood and I am assuming that you see me as a person of interest." Freemont looked at his guests with little expression present as he studied Catherine.

"We just want to eliminate you as a suspect."

"Do you require fingerprints and DNA?"

Catherine thought this was a rather strange conversation. Logic could dictate that he was probably their suspect and he was trying to throw them off their game. Yet her gut was telling her that this man was coming from a stance that he had dealt with this previously or something similar in that he was accused for being different. It seemed that for all the advancement that people claim, as a whole society could be pretty ruthless and people were animals.

Brass was maintaining more of the tough cop persona he kept. He thought that the guy was a bit shady but even he had to admit the guy didn't seem to have a killing bone in his body. He glanced at Catherine and she replied, "That would help Mr. Freemont."

"Go ahead."

It was an ingrained habit for CSIs to carry their kits. Catherine fetched hers and went about collecting the ten card. Freemont watched her in a thoughtful mood. Catherine took a moment and could see that he looked sad. He was calm but it was clear that his grief was showing and not just for Nicole but for the fact that he was facing discrimination or he took it hard when the community got hit with it. "You all right Mr. Freemont?"

"Just sad that we still persecute because of differences. For the most part the community doesn't care what other people think but it does hurt when we are attacked."

"Probably because they are used to the image of all black and obsession with death and Satanic rituals."

"Crap," Freemont replied with slight venom. "Most people in the community are very religious, a majority of the Christian faith. Nicole was Christian down to true believer. She always wore the Celtic cross she had been given as a gift from her grandmother. Her family is predominately Catholic. It hit them hard when she revealed that she hung out with our crowd."

Brass picked up on that and continued on that line of questioning, "So her family didn't like it too much?"

"They didn't like it but that doesn't mean that they would have killed her," Freemont replied looking incredulously at the captain. "Her mother sobbed and her father virtually disowned her and told her if she wanted to mingle with heathens then it was her prerogative."

Catherine made a slight face at that. It sounded a little extreme but she had heard of other things getting kids cut off or disowned by parents. It almost made her want to worry about what she would do if Lindsey decided to go with a crowd that she might have a hard time accepting.

"Right because they thought the community were Satanists," Brass drawled on. He wanted to confirm what he observed and see if their guy was a suspect even though he named other possibilities.

"And we're not. That rubbish is something that people like Nicole's family use to brainwash people into thinking that we're evil or something and we're not." Freemont paused to calm himself down. He was the type that didn't like to get into confrontation if he could help it but he could pack a punch if necessary. He changed tactics, "Are you familiar with art, Captain Brass?"

"Not a connoisseur."

Freemont leaned forward, clearly in his element. He worked in an art gallery. "Gothic was originally an art form during the Middle Ages. It was a style that took a darker look on things but nothing overtly Satanic. Apart from the Renaissance, Gothic art was exemplified by religious notations, some looking a little darker than others. Best permanent examples are the cathedrals of France."

"So you're saying that being Goth is more like the art form?" Brass raised his brow at that.

"As an off shoot of punk rock in the term of music, it is just like its art period form," Freemont offered with a slight shrug of his shoulders. He paused to let Catherine take a buccal swab for DNA comparison. "Like I said, we like the darker side of things but not the suicidal types or depressed types. Those that claim Goth and are like that are posers."

Catherine finished what she was doing. Brass nodded as he followed up with a few more questions, "Are you certain that no one within the community had a beef with Nicole?"

"We differ in what we think reflects the style which is why you see so many of us in varying styles. Yes even the all black crowd is a part of it." Freemont stood to let them out now that their business was concluded. He walked them to the door. "You might want to search outside the community. For the most part that is where most people who have a beef with us side with."

"Thank you Mr. Freemont. If you think of anything, any problems that occurred before her death, please let us know," Catherine replied, handing over a card.

"I can ask around. Nicole and I were steady but because of the nature of our jobs, sometimes we went out alone. She has friends within the community. Check with Joyce. Joyce Rayburn. They both work at the same place."

It normally was a red flag when information was given do readily like that. First blush was that Freemont was the killer yet Catherine was inclined to believe that he may be right. The hate message that had been scrawled on the victim's back clearly indicated a hate crime. Of course as an investigator, all avenues had to be searched and eliminated and you followed the evidence. Sometimes it took you to where you didn't like to be.

As they were walking to the Taurus, Catherine looked at the captain and asked, "So what do you think?"

"First suspect is usually the one closest to the victim but this guy… he's different." Brass wanted to risk looking back but he didn't want to give too much away. "He could be covering by pretending that he is a part of their community to hide his crime."

"I considered that," Catherine admitted. "However, something about the way he described the community and how he looked…"

"It looks guilty but he's like a real Clark Kent in terms of mild mannered guys," Brass agreed. "I checked out his alibi and the deal was for an art exhibition that is going to feature Gothic art both classic and modern. The owners of the gallery were quite excited about it."

"So there's one group that doesn't care about preference or association but that's business." Catherine put her kit in the car and got in.

Brass started the Taurus to head back towards the lab. "I don't know."

"We do have what was carved on the victim's back. It makes it sound more of a hate crime. Maybe Freemont is right in suggesting that we look outside the community."

"There are those rare individuals who are a part of a group and hate themselves and the group. Maybe he decides attacking members is attacking himself or something," Brass offered.

"You've been hanging around Parker haven't you?" Catherine couldn't help but smile at that. As much as she knew Sage was busy with her own cases now that Grissom decided to let her be lead, Catherine got the feeling that she was going to be asking the younger woman for advice on this one in regards to the Goth community.

Sage was not at the lab when she got back but Catherine decided to do some follow up and ended up stopping right at Greg's lab. "What do you have for me Greg?"

"Semen to the SAE kit from your vic is definitely male but not in CODIS," Greg replied. "There was alcohol in your vic's blood and traces of rohypnol."

"Roofied?"

"Yeah but not enough to make your girl pass out. Maybe just enough…"

"Just enough to get her outside and do what he wanted," Catherine finished. She fished out the swab and handed it to Greg. "Compare this to the semen."

"Right away."

* * *

**A/N:** Looks like things are moving like they should and the cases moving forward. Keep watching for more Night Owls...


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6**

"Sometimes I wonder if you ever sleep at all."

Sage chuckled as she and Sara sat at the diner to eat a meal and get some coffee. "That's the longest running joke in the lab. Stokes was first on that."

"I thought it was Greg," Sara teased.

"Leggo my Greggo," Sage countered with a chuckle. "He's more like a little brother to me even though we get into more trouble than it's worth." She picked up her mug of coffee and took a sip.

Sara figured that. She just liked teasing Sage with that every time. The answer was still the same. It was a bit of a relief that at least the bickering between her and Nick was back on track. It just didn't seem normal when it was absent. "Okay, okay." She took a sip of her coffee and continued, "O' Reilly gave me an interesting call."

"Do tell," Sage replied making fun of what could be a gossip session.

"Well after we let Roland Bryce know his wife and son were dead, he calls a life insurance company and basically says his wife and son are dead."

"Well that brings up the warm and fuzzies," Sage deadpanned. She no doubt suspected that the bastard killed his wife and son in that house and then hid them under the floorboards of some house in the woods. "Pretty clever though. If he had said it before the year or so was up, bigger red flag of course he thinks he slipped under the radar and playing the part of the grieving husband who had been waiting anxiously for any trace of his wife and son…"

"Well aren't you one for pointing out the obvious bastard." Sara had been leaning on the counter, her hand cradling her chin from its propped position.

Sage finished what she was eating and downed the last of her coffee. "Well you kind of get the general idea of sheer bastardness from the cases you work. Metro had its fair share and I tell you guys like to think they're thugs."

"Anyway," Sara continued after a slight chuckle, "I also did some checking around and your theory of defensive wounds checks out. Bryce did visit the emergency room but said that it was an accident doing yard work. Stitches and pain meds and that was it."

"Well GSWs have to be reported so he lucked out there." Sage paid her billed and got up. "To the lab Sara."

Sara followed suit as they went to the car chuckling since Sage sounded like one of those old time superheroes. They made the drive to the lab and she said, "Trace did find wood splinters in Taylor Bryce's skull that are not consistent with the wood out at the cabin. They also found bits of granite that are used with fireplaces. The wood splinters are a certain kind of wood used for fireplaces since it is treated and it is the same type of wood that was used in the original fireplace."

Sage gave a grin at Sara, "You just know how to brighten my day. What did O' Reilly have to say?"

"He's working on getting a warrant. Busy day today with the docket," Sara replied.

"When isn't it busy?" Sage replied.

They had pulled up into the lab and the two CSIs got out. Sage had pointed out that to keep busy was to go over the case file and catch up on paperwork. That was a good idea and they started doing it, occasionally giving gentle barbs about work and who was the night owl and setting the pace. IN the middle of one exchange, Sage got a call on her cell. "Excuse me Sara."

As soon as she stepped out, Sara got a call on her phone. It was O' Riley and she listened while watching Sage get involved in a very serious discussion. She couldn't make out what she was saying but it was serious from her end. She thanked the detective and waited until Sage came back and said, "O' Riley says the judge wants a little more."

Sage gave a slight shrug, "Don't blame the judge on that one. We didn't have much to start out with. Listen, I know we have a few things left to process on the case. Do you mind taking care of that? I have to handle something."

"Problem?" Sara picked up on the slight distracted look and the fact that Sage glanced at her watch rather anxiously.

"No just one of those things that if it doesn't right itself the whole deck comes tumbling down," Sage replied as she put her stuff away. "Anything else you find to present a strong case for a warrant, give it to O' Reilly and give me a call okay?"

"Alright," Sara replied as she watched Sage leave the break room.

Sage paused and moment and hung on the door and looked at Sara. She noticed the look on her face and said, "Hey, it's not like I'm going to a funeral. I'll be back."

"You need a lift?"

"No," Sage replied. She saw the look and quickly added, "I'm not borrowing Stokes' truck. Automotive will let me use one. I got a lead that just occurred to me so I can take care of business and follow up on the way back."

"You must've barely toed the line at Metro," Sara replied as she looked at Sage with a look of astonishment.

"Actually I crossed it one too many times. It's why I'm careful here. I got it Sara. Maybe we might get lucky and get that warrant tonight if our leads pan out."

It was hard not to be sucked in by Sage's enthusiasm. Sara gave a slight smile as she waved Sage on. She knew that Sage would do her job and that wasn't the problem. The last major case they did, the Homicide Society murders, showed that especially how she managed the whole thing. She knew that Sage toed the line even though there were some things that should have been given more attention to but not.

One was the fact that she was the one that moved Grissom's experiments. It was appreciated by the lab who didn't want the smells of whatever it was on their food. Of course if they asked Sage about it, she would deny it or imply that they would have to have their evidence. Grave shift learned that it was Sage's way of asking for a reasoned argument. It was one of those things that made the days go by. Sara decided not to think too much more on it and went to look again over the personal effects that they had recovered. There might be something she missed.

In the meantime Sage left the lab in the Tahoe automotive gave her and headed down towards the shelter. The call she had gotten earlier had not been from the sister but from one of the ladies she was trying to get in touch with. It was a surprise since she had been expecting the sister to call her with a yes or no and to hear directly from someone who knew… It was a lead and she said she had a few things that might help. That would require some skill in convincing the woman to come down to the station to give a formal statement.

The shelter was still open but was operating under night procedures when she parked the Tahoe in the same spot she did as before. She adjusted her coat and headed towards the shelter and gave the customary knock. She was let in as before and guided to a room where there was some privacy. The only person sitting there was a woman who looked a little nervous but determined to say her piece. Sage entered the room and tried not to startle her and inquired, "Olivia Parks?"

Olive looked up to view Sage and replied, "Are you Sage Parker, the CSI?"

Sage nodded, "That's me. You called saying that you had something regarding the case I am working on?"

Olivia nodded, "Sister Alice called stating that they found Claire and Taylor."

"I would like to talk to the ladies that knew Claire hoping to see if there is anything that may help us catch who killed them." Sage took a seat and folded her hands. She felt like she was interviewing patients again when she was doing her doctoral work but she learned that sometimes folding the hands was a way to help the patient relax. "Can you help me by telling me if Claire ever said or did anything that made her fear for her life?"

Olivia looked at Sage and nodded. "Well I do have something. I got it the day after Claire and Taylor left the shelter and kept it." She produced it and placed it on the table.

Sage didn't touch it but looked at the recorder that was sitting there. She opened her kit and took out a pair of gloves to inspect it. She looked at Olivia with a question in her eyes.

"I listened to it. Her husband threatened her…"

Sage glanced at the woman and turned on the recorder and held it up to listen. It was pretty nasty. Maybe it would help. Unfortunately with the documented injuries previously, tough case to build but then again she was not an attorney. She listened to the tape all the way through and again before asking more questions.

* * *

It was a night like the previous and the area was ripe for the picking. There were lots of them out and about. They were waiting in line like a bunch of sheep to be led to the slaughter. It wasn't anything they didn't deserve. They were freaks every last one of them.

He was on a mission. He had been called to do this because they were a blight on this world. True Vegas was a city full of sin but you took things a step at a time. At that pace, nothing could go wrong and the mission will be a success. Of course that was the party line that he had learned. He targeted them because he hated them.

They pretended to be like everyone else but they took something from him. They took things from everyone, sucking them into their world. He couldn't believe that there were people who actually said that they were like everyone else. They weren't. They tricked you and showed you for what they really were and they could spend time laughing at you for it. The sad thing is that for this to work, he had to be one of them.

He walked through the streets towards the club when he saw a prospect. She had pulled up in an SUV looking serious but he could tell she was one of them. It was a pity since she looked rather pretty. He was about to approach her when she climbed out and headed away. She was going in the opposite direction of the club. He didn't follow.

Instead he went to the club and to the coffee shop across the way. He ordered one black and sat outside to watch the line. There were a lot of prospects. The girls were especially pretty tonight as they lined up. It was his luck that a new band was playing. If it were possible, he would go after them but as it were, he was content with this.

She was standing there. She was a redhead, dark redhead and her lips were painted with black lipstick. She had large green eyes that brightened up the white pallor she was trying to achieve. Her clothing was black and skimpy looking and sort of made her look like one of the sluts that worked this town turning tricks. The girl had black leather wristbands and the black boots to go with her outfit. She definitely was the one. Now to execute the plan of attack.

Getting up he crossed the way past the alley and gave a satisfied smirk down the way. He continued on his way towards the line and stood in it looking suave and cool. He would have no problem getting in. He smirked as he watched a few of the geeks get rejected. They were what they called posers and it looked like the bouncer saw right through them. He was let in without a problem and he made his way to the place he had staked out the other one last night.

It was the VIP section and he had it booked. The club owner was certainly happy that he had the cash to throw around. In this part of town, the guy was going to need all the money he could get. Besides he knew how to use his looks and the money that he flashed around and it worked out in the end with what he had in mind. He sat I his seat and waited until the girl he was looking for came into his sights and she looked better in the club than outside. It was a pity.

He signaled the waitress and told her to give a drink to the girl and that he was buying. He grinned as the waitress carried out his request. He watched as the girl looked surprised at the drink. He was ready with a smile and a gesture when the waitress gestured over to him and watched as she got the expression that she couldn't believe it.

She was with her girlfriends and while a slight problem, he knew how to make it so they didn't feel too bad that they weren't his type. He knew he had the girl hook line and sinker when she came over. Her girlfriends hovered in the background. No doubt they were groupie drinkers; they hung around and waited for the high rollers to come in and buy drinks as long as the tab was good. Well he knew how to take care of that. He had done this before.

The girl came up. The lighting accentuated her red hair as she stood right where the lighting was perfect. She was the one he wanted. He gave a nod and said, "Hello there."

She blushed like a school girl. No doubt it was an act since he could read that she was a slut like all the others. The one girl the other night was one too but then again he made it so that she appeared that way before he had his way with her. He moved his head like he was inspecting her as she gushed over him. He said, "Well I never thought to find someone to enjoy the company and the new band."

"Oh I'm a big fan of the group."

_No doubt about that._ He looked at the girl and smiled. This was going to be his night.

* * *

Nick was looking at the necklace piece that belonged to his victim. It was a custom design piece to go with the Goth attire Nicole Kirkland liked to wear. It had a Celtic appearance since he recognized the knot like design. It looked like a star shape but he wasn't sure and there was a small dangling piece, a stone attached to it. The piece was made to sit like a choker piece; he knew enough about jewelry to know different types of necklaces.

There was a bit of blood on the piece and he swabbed it. Probably the killer left something on it. The only stumbling block was that they didn't have a suspect. True they had DNA from the SAE kit and they had exemplars for Nicole but there were no matches. The swab that Catherine collected didn't match anything so it cleared the boyfriend. The nice thing was that if there was a match, it would build a more solid case against their suspect when they finally caught him.

The other thing that had him was the letter to Nicole. The French had him perplexed and his Spanish was rusty. I made him wish more than anything that he had asked Sage to translate it for him since her French was better than his. He had checked around the lab and found Sara working on her case and learned that Sage was on another lead and that she had a very good reason for not having at least a uniform going along. It took what it could to not roll his eyes and give her a call that would end up as a 'what the hell are you doing' message on her voicemail.

It was no secret between him and Catherine that they thought their victim was similar in appearance to Sage. The reddish brown of the auburn hair, down to the complexion… it was downright creepy. It didn't help that their victim was a Goth like her in that she was not the stereotype that was often associated with the group. They agreed in private that it was… coincidence was not in a CSI's vocabulary. Then there was the writing on the girl's back.

It nearly had him grind his teeth when he saw it in autopsy. The photos didn't do it justice. He had the words memorized: Die, Goth bitch like the rest. It lent strongly to the possibility that this was a hate crime though there was the possibility that the suspect could have done that to mask the fact that it could have been a rage killing. Most murders were done by someone the victim knew while the ones done by a complete stranger were rare.

Nick made a slight twitch of his lips as he recalled something that he and Sage had been arguing over when they were taking a break. She said something about murder by stranger is like the mathematical concept of random; that there was no such thing as random.

_There's no such thing as random with murder by stranger, Stokes. By all technicalities, the suspect and the victim would have met before. Maybe not like hello and hi but they would have met at some point._

It sounded ridiculous at the time but Nick found himself thinking about it some. While it appeared to be random, there was the nagging thought that Sage's joking had some validity. He stifled a yawn, well aware that he had been working around the clock on this one and he was starting to think like she did… that is if he knew exactly how she thought.

"Hey last time I saw that look you weren't sure if Parker was kidding or not," Warrick said as he noticed his friend. He was taking care of some evidence from his case with Grissom when he saw Nick leaning and peering at a piece of jewelry.

Nick rubbed his eyes and replied, "I never know when she's kidding."

"Cause you fall for it every time. You're an easy mark," Warrick replied with a grin. "Evidence?"

"Yeah from the 419 me and Cath got."

"Little gaudy don't you think?"

"No. It's Celtic. It's supposed to look like that."

"So you did a swabbing…?"

Nick put the necklace down and stretched a little. "Yeah and I sent it to Greg. Problem is that we don't have a suspect and the exemplar Catherine got from the boyfriend is not a match. Brass is checking out the people who were at the club that night but nothing yet."

"And staring at evidence is going to help?"

"Just had a thought about who we're looking for."

Warrick gave a slight grin as he realized what Nick was getting at. "You're not seriously thinking about what Parker said about random now are you?"

"It's a possibility."

"Boy does she have you. I feel sorry for you. It's almost as bad as her saying that we're all crazy because by definition it is subjective." Warrick was trying hard not to laugh at that.

"And she is right… I think," Nick retorted.

"Man you are an easy mark for her," Warrick replied chuckling. He could understand the feeling though. You got desperate enough to consider all possibilities and sometimes the most absurd sounded correct. It was almost like when they had to resort to chaos theory with the missing girl and her death ended up being an accident so he knew Nick wasn't wrong in considering it but because Sage messed with him so much, she had him turned around.

"Hey it was a thought and she is right if you think about it," Nick countered. He sighed, "Besides I don't have anything else and she's not here to translate."

"Oh the French connection." Warrick looked at the letter that was also there. He could see how part of it was written in English and then there was the French. "Yeah Parker would be good at that. Where is she?"

"Chasing a lead for her case and burning the oil early."

"Aren't we all? Come on, you could use a break even though you aren't supposed to be on."

"We all log in OT 'Rick," Nick countered with a slight smile. He was ready for a break and made to put the evidence he was looking at in a box and out of the way so he could get back to it later. E stretched a little as he finished.

The two CSIs walked to the break room and with some trepidation took turns pouring a cup of coffee. The swill that was barely tolerable still made an appearance every now and then. The people working the lab knew to approach with caution but it was always hit or miss. Warrick took a tentative taste of the brew and made a face of approval. "Not bad."

Nick took a taste and said, "But not good either."

"That's because you missed out on the last batch," Greg said as he walked in. He was smiling even though he was bone tired and there were slight bags around the eyes. He poured himself a cup since he was at the point where he didn't care as long as it was swill. "Colombian roast was last batch."

"Parker?" Warrick raised his brow.

"No. Someone from swing or days," Greg replied as he paused by the dish that was labeled 'Free' and picked up the cookie that was on it and took a bite. "Nice. Oatmeal." He walked out still chewing. It would be gone along with the coffee by the time he got back to the DNA lab. He had it all worked out.

Warrick and Nick looked at the plate that Greg helped himself to. Both had never really noticed it before. Usually there were doughnuts in a box that someone would bring in and you would pay the tip jar for them. Warrick took one and his eyes opened wide at the taste. "These are good and they're not them out of the store versions."

Nick would have tried one but didn't. He was just concentrating on tolerating the brew since it was tolerable but nothing worth bragging about. Also his thoughts couldn't help but drift onto the case a bit plus other things that would cause a person's thoughts to wander. He said, "That's a benefit since this is…"

"I know what you mean and Parker lives on this stuff. It's a wonder she's not a shorty."

Nick made a slight sound that could have meant anything as he finished his coffee and threw the cup away. It was enough for now. He checked his watch and saw that it was pushing towards 5pm. He was at a bust so he decided to head home to catch a couple of hours of sleep. He waved his goodbyes to Warrick and headed out.

It was a good three or so hours' worth of sleep that he got when his phone rang. He answered, "Stokes."

_Nicky, it's Catherine. We got another one._

"On my way."

* * *

**A/N:** Working the case is the game and it looks like the suspect is on the prowl for another girl and Nick and Catherine are called to the scene. Keep watching for more Night Owls...


End file.
